The most annoying problem while working on a PC is that when the mouse cursor starts behaving erratically, it jumps on the screen and is no longer in your control. This can affect your working flow if you are solely dependent on the mouse.
There can be many factors that lead to a jumpy mouse. It is important to identify the problem and solve it accordingly.
Let us first see what are the main causes of mouse-related problems
Causes of Mouse Creating Errors in Your Workflow
Here are some of the most common causes.
- Bad surfaces
- Dirty mouse or optical sensor
- Hardware issues
- Touchpad interferences
- Dead batteries
- Weak wireless connections
- Electromagnetic or signal interferences
- Outdated or old drivers
- Viruses
- Corrupt files
- Faulty motherboard
So these are the causes that lead to the malfunctioning of the mouse.
Now further in this article, we are going to discuss their solutions that can help you in making your workflow smooth.
Quick & Easy Ways To Solve The Erratic Behavior Of Pointing Devices
Following are some of the effective solutions.
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Use suitable surface
Many times some mice don’t work properly on rough or glossy surfaces and start behaving erratically. To solve this problem, a simple piece of paper, book, or mouse pad would work.
Putting the mouse pad, book, or paper below the mouse would be an easy fix.
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Remove dirt and clean the optical sensor
If there is an accumulation of dirt, dust, or hair in the mouse, it can also cause the malfunction. To clean, blow air around the optical sensor below the mouse. This will remove any dirt, dust, or hair around the area.
Debris blocks the optical sensor below the mouse causing erratic behavior. Make sure to clean the portion timely to avoid facing working issues due to accumulated fuzz or debris.
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Fix Hardware issues
Try checking the hardware problems, such are primary issues, and can solve your issue instantly. Try connecting your mouse to a different USB port, sometimes the USB port may get faulty resulting in connectivity issues.
The next check you can make is to connect your mouse to a different computer to see if it’s your mouse or the computer itself facing the issues.
After checking hardware issues, if you conclude that the issue is with your mouse itself and is defective, simply replace the mouse and your problem is fixed.
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Disable touchpad
Sometimes, the touchpad can cause interference with the USB-connected device mouse.
To solve this issue, click on the touchpad icon in the right side corner then go to Property of touchpad and click on the stop device button or disable when external USB plugged in.
This can also solve your minor issue.
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Clean Moist touchpad
If you are using a touchpad and not the hardware mouse and still face such issues, it may be because of the wet or moist fingers. Clean your hands with water and dry them with a towel thoroughly before using the touchpad, this will enable the smooth and clean functioning of the touchpad.
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Use good batteries
While using a wireless mouse, if the batteries are not charged or are bad batteries, they can cause broken connections with the computer. To solve this, replace the batteries with the charged and good ones.
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Strong wireless connection
In order to work wirelessly, there must be a strong connection between the device and the PC.
Make sure your mouse is not much far away from the wireless receiver and is in the range of connection. This will help in establishing a good connection and solve connectivity issues.
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No Signal interference
All the wireless devices depend on the connective signal with the wireless receiver. While using a wireless mouse along with other wireless devices such as a keyboard, headset or router can cause signal interference or disturbance. It may happen because other devices also transmit and receive signals alongside causing interference. To solve this problem, try shifting other devices farther from the receiver or disconnecting the ones not in use. This could solve the issue.
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Avoid Electromagnetic interference
Such kind of interference is caused due to any magnetic substance kept near the device. Magnetic signals hinder the connectivity of the mouse with the PC resulting in error results. To resolve, take away the magnetic substance far from the range of the wireless receiver.
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Update drivers on your PC
Drivers are responsible for the working of the mouse with the operating system, if they are not up-to-date it may result in mouse malfunction. Hence it is important to update the drivers to the latest version for error-free working.
To update the drivers, go to Device Manager>Mice and other pointing devices, right-click on the driver, and select Update. After updating, restart the computer. This will resolve your issue.
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Uninstall old drivers on your PC
As we discussed, drivers are crucially responsible for proper functioning. Even after updating, if you are still facing issues, try uninstalling and reinstalling drivers.
Uninstall all the older drivers on your PC, go to the trusted mouse manufacturing website and download the latest drivers manually. After downloading, restart your PC to check if the issue is solved. If it is solved, then you are ready to work.
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Do Virus or Malware scan
It’s advisable to scan your computer timely for virus or malware detection to make sure your computer and all the devices support and work correctly. Any virus or malware can also cause malfunction and erratic behavior of the mouse. Get a complete scan of your computer to regain your productive workflow and solve the issues.
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Remove Corrupt files
Sometimes, operating systems containing corrupted files can also cause malfunction issues. It is better if you restore to the earlier version before the mouse problems erupted, it will fix the issue handily. Also, you may need to run complete system repair in order to solve corrupt file issues.
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Fix motherboard
If you are still facing issues even after performing all the above resolving methods, then it may be the motherboard that is faulty and is causing mouse malfunction issues.
For this, you need to show your computer to a professional person and get your motherboard fixed or replaced.
Also read:
Rectangle Mac OS | best window management tool 2022
Conclusion
In this article, all the above ways are proven to be effective in the case of any faulty or malfunctioning mouse-related issues. Identify your problem and try the solving ways which can resolve your issue and help you in a smooth and error-free working flow.
